Russian president to meet with Chinese counterpart

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet today to discuss bilateral relations.

This discussion will take place following the recent G7 meeting. The G7 released a statement against Russian military build-up and aggression towards Ukraine.

Additionally, President Biden recently threatened major economic sanctions should Russia invade Ukraine. While China’s stance on Ukraine is unclear, the possible sanctions and pushback from the G7 is concerning for economic reasons. Russia’s number one trading partner is China, with China recently relying on Russia during a coal shortage.

It is possible that at this meeting they will discuss strengthening trade and even a larger Eurasian free trade partnership.

At the G7 meeting, members also expressed wanting to act towards Beijing without seeming like an “anti-China club” in terms of combatting disinformation. Some of the members also expressed intentions to diplomatically boycott the winter Olympics. With this meeting, it is likely that Russia and China aim to present a united front against perceived anti-Sino-Russian rhetoric from remarks made at the G7 meeting.

Expect continued meetings between Russia and China and for them to continue to strengthen bilateral economic and diplomatic relations and more generally in the Eurasian region.

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